


let me take you dancing

by Sawadoot



Category: Mo Dao Zu Shi, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Genre: Gen, Getting Together, M/M, The Junior Quartet, fluff with some angst because they're both stupid, modern wangxian au, the bisexual wwx agenda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28145922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sawadoot/pseuds/Sawadoot
Summary: Counselor Lan is a single hot dad, while Jin Ling's most insufferable Uncle is a single hot-mess. It's a wonder how anyone still falls for Wei Wuxian's cheesy pick-up lines, but no one said watching your stupid Uncle fall in love was going to be easy.
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i hope u know this has been sitting in my drafts for a while titled 'ooh counselor lan u are so sexy' and while I could have named the fic that there are sacrifices we must make for the greater-good

Counselor Lan’s office is a quiet retreat decorated in motivational rabbit posters, plants and blanketed in soothing white noise. It often smells of sandalwood incense, on his desk sits a frame of what he  _ knows  _ is Lan Sizhui at age four- much to Sizhui’s embarrassment, but Jin Ling will tease him about that later.

Right now, he’s in deep trouble or at least a step up from the usual trouble his mouth gets him worked into. Counselor Lan sits at his desk, a cutting figure against the silhouette of the partially cracked blinds. His expression— lack of— seemingly neutral, but if Sizhui were here, he could probably translate it into something like, “He’s displeased,” or “He’s going to murder you, Jin Ling.” The last part may be an exaggeration, but right now, he really, really feels like it could be true.

Wordlessly, Counselor Lan hands him a phone, expression never changing as he says, “Please call your guardian.”  _ And inform them you are in my office. _ Yeah, figures. Jiujiu is going to chew him out. He knows it— and that doesn’t make him feel any better as he resigns himself to his fate, dialing Jiujiu’s number with an exaggerated sigh under the watchful gaze of the counselor.

He wants the  _ fuck  _ out of here. He’ll take the worst that can happen.

_ Jinx, _ the world says to Jin Ling because the worst  _ does  _ happen. “I can’t come to get you,” Jiang Cheng snaps into the phone receiver so loudly that Jin Ling flinches. “I’m about to pitch a meeting I can’t miss; ask your other Uncle; he’s probably fucking off doing god-knows anyway.” Jin Ling hates the exasperated whine that leaves his throat at the thought. He thinks of bartering, but Uncle Jin is off on a trip, so it’s not like he can ask anybody else.

“Okay, fine.” He grumbles into the phone and then hits end call before Jiujiu can respond just because he’s a little pissed at him, and maybe it’s childish, but he’s a kid anyway.

Counselor Lan says nothing. One eyebrow does climb his forehead minutely, but it’s pretty much gone when Jin Ling blinks. 

He punches in his stupid Uncle’s number more aggressively than necessary, lets it ring, debates hanging up and telling Counselor Lan no one is available, and then grieves when his stupid Uncle picks up on the third ring. “Hello?” Says his stupid voice, and god, he hates this so much. But Mo Ziyuan got what was coming for him and if this was the consequences, so help him, it was fucking worth it.

“Hey—” Jin Ling starts saying, and as expected, is cut off immediately.

“Jin Ling? What’s wrong? Did you change your number?” Oh yeah, he forgot.

“No, I'm using Counselor Lan’s phone. Can you—” He let out a long-suffering sigh, resigning himself, almost choking on the words at the tip of his tongue. “Can you come to get me?”

There’s a beat of silence on the other end of the line, and he can feel himself getting irritated because this is embarrassing as all get out. He had to call his stupid Uncle for this, and it wasn’t even his fault mostly, kind-of, yes he punched Mo Ziyuan, but it wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it. 

His Uncle’s voice is surprisingly serious, laced with an undertone of concern, and all at once, it struck Jin Ling that he  _ could _ be serious when the occasion arises. “Yeah, of course— give me a minute to get my keys. I’ll be right over.”

He’s belatedly aware of the dial tone as he silently hands the phone back to Counselor Lan. “My Uncle is coming.” He hears himself say, a pounding in his ears. He doesn’t elaborate which one; rather, he’s too busy recollecting the hushed seriousness of his stupid Uncle’s voice. The concern in it, as if his whole world would fall apart if anything were to happen to Jin Ling.

With some anger, he thinks, yes, he feels a little bit guilty.

* * *

  
  


The first implication that Wei Wuxian is approaching happens to the annoying squeak of his chucks against the smooth, waxy surface of the school's dirty floor. He opens the door with a lack of grace, catching it before it slams against the wall. 

The second he lays eyes on Jin Ling, he marches over with all intent and purpose, rapidly walking to stand in front of him. And then, he bops him right over the head.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?!” Jin Ling whines, rubbing the top of his head, glaring Wei Wuxian down.

“For scaring me like that. I thought something was seriously wrong!” Wei Wuxian exclaims, hands on his hips, looming over Jin Ling at a spectacular height. He’d always been taller than Jiujiu, and he often teases him about it, much to Jiujiu’s annoyance; they’re always arguing about something or other, though, so it’s best to let them have their spats. 

“Something is wrong.” Counselor Lan had been so quiet; Jin Ling practically forgot he was in the room because of Wei Wuxian’s noise. His Uncle, who clearly hadn’t noticed he’d been present when he came in, looks up in surprise. “Jin Ling fought with another student.”

“Ah,” For once, his Uncle doesn’t speak right away, his gaze trained on Counselor Lan, eyes flickering open and closed like he’s taking him all in. Like his intimidating figure is somehow the most interesting part of the day. Jin Ling sulks about it. Wei Wuxian seems to stutter back to life a moment later, taking a finger and thumb full of Jin Ling’s cheek and pinching. “Oh, A-Ling,” He says like he isn’t taking a chunk of Jin Ling’s cheek off.

“Cut it out!” Jin Ling cries, smacking his hand away and rubbing his sore cheek. “It’s not like I set out to punch the guy! He was asking for it!”

“You  _ punched  _ him?” Wei Wuxian sounds faint like they’re on the edge of collapse, and the only thing holding them together in this office, and it’s a stupid white noise machine. Jin Ling grimaces, so yeah, he could’ve phrased that better, but it would have come out the same way regardless, so what’s the use of sugar-coating his animosity towards Mo Ziyuan. 

“They have been suspended for a day.” Says Counselor Lan, like it’s a grave offense and not just a scuffle. “They can both return Wednesday.” 

“Ahh, thanks so much, uh—” His stupid Uncle squints at the plaque on his desk, and Jin Ling briefly remembers Jiujiu saying his Uncle should wear his reading glasses as recommended instead of being dumb about it. Due to days of staring at computer monitors, poor eyesight makes him never want an office job, that’s for sure.

“Lan Wangji.” Counselor Lan offers when it takes longer than ten seconds. Wei Wuxian whips his head away from where he was so painstakingly trying to read the inscription and offers one of his dazzling smiles in the counselor’s direction. “Lan Wangji, then! I’m Wei Wuxian, but you can call me Wei Ying, all pretty people get to.”

Oh god, is he flirting? Jin Ling wants to die; he wants to bury himself in dirt and die.

Counselor Lan doesn’t flinch. Instead, a ghost of a smile graces his lips. Jin Ling can feel his jaw drop. “Pleased to meet you.” They shake hands, lingering for a minute before dropping them to their sides.

“Well, I had better get A-Ling home. I’m really sorry about all this; I’ll have a talk with him.” Like hell he will, thinks Jin Ling. Counselor Lan nods minutely, shifting his focus back to Jin Ling as if remembering suddenly that he’s still here. That he’s watching the shitshow part-two go down. He wants to bury his head in his hands and  _ scream. _

His Uncle and the Counselor. He didn’t imagine it. There’s what Ouyang Zizhen would call “the sexual tension between your Uncle and your guidance counselor,” and he absolutely hates it. 

Later, in the car, his stupid Uncle asks him what happened, and after Jin Ling recounts how Mo Ziyuan had been bullying his cousin, and how Jin Ling couldn’t bear to see it anymore. Wei Wuxian laughs, tells him, “right on!” where Jiujiu would’ve said he couldn’t go around punching people and takes him out for ice cream before they drive home. 

He thinks that’s that until it’s not.

* * *

  
  


“I think my Uncle has a crush on your dad.” He blurts to Lan Sizhiu over the lunch table, their trays of mystery meat and vegetable casserole that looks two days past fresh. Lan Sizhui stares at him so intensely at that moment he can  _ feel  _ his face flare-up.

“Wait, which Uncle?” Says Lan Jingyi, his mouth full, leaning over the trays which much interest as if he’ll miss a word otherwise.

“The stupid one, my Jiujiu’s older brother.” Says Jin Ling, and when Lan Jingyi continues to stare at him dumbly, he adds, “Wei Wuxian.”

Lan Jingyi’s eyes go round, and Lan Sizhui nearly freezes mid-way through picking apart the disgusting casserole. His face goes white, and he pushes away his tray like it no longer interests him. Ouyang Zizhen cut in quickly, “What makes you think that?”

Jin Ling looks around before gesturing for them to lean in, and when they do, he whispers conspiringly, “He made Counselor Lan smile. And— they wouldn’t stop looking at each other, it was really gross.” 

“Wait,” Sizhui says, shell-shocked. “He made my Father  _ smile?” _

“Yeah, it was wild.”

“Oh my god.” Lan Jingyi is practically vibrating in his chair, phone in one hand, fork in the other. He’s going to fall over if he doesn’t quit it. Luckily, Zizhen grabs his shoulder, willing him to calm down and not potentially faceplant on the floor. 

”You guys, you guys, ” Jingyi says after Zizhen has saved him from certain doom, and there is no more risk of him rocking his seat awkwardly though it does make a protesting squeak as he shifts excitedly in it. ”We should set them up.”

Sizhui shot him an incredible ’Lan look of disapproval’ as they called it behind his back. Jingyi— to his credit— only flinched once. ”We are  _ not  _ setting up my Dad.” 

”Boo, ” Protests Jingyi. ”Why not?”

”Because that's weird.” Sizhui still looks pale as he slides his tray of barely eaten food back towards himself, needing to take an interest in something aside from the conversation before he spontaneously combusts.

”What if Jin Ling’s Uncle is nice?” Zizhen says thoughtfully, dabbing the corner of his lips with a napkin. ”What’s he like, Jin Ling?” 

Jin Ling shrugged helplessly as the entire table turned to their attention on him. ”Stupid. He likes to play pranks, jokes a lot. He's smart, I guess.” 

Of course, Jingyi has to pipe up. ”I thought you just said he was stupid.”

”He  _ is  _ stupid. He wouldn't know someone loved him even if they spelled it out on his forehead. He's like, an engineer or something. I’m not really sure what he does, to be honest. I know he works odd hours and sleeps literally anywhere.” 

”He sounds like the opposite of my dad.” Sizhui says flatly. 

”And that's why they're perfect for each other!” Jingyi declares, one elbow propped against the table, reaching blindly for the juice box on his left while he intends to hype Ouyang Zizhen up because he's the token hopeless romantic.

Zizhen rises to the bait as expected, a determined glimmer in his eyes.

”I at least want to meet the man who made the immovable Counselor Lan smile.” He titters, even when Sizhui sends him an exasperated look before leveling it out and smoothing his hands down his jeans much like his father smoothes out his powder-blue dress shirts. 

”Fine. But promise you'll drop after.” He says very seriously, and it almost makes the three of them feel bad for him. Almost. 

”You have my word. Scouts honor and all that shit.” Jingyi crosses his heart at the same time as Sizhui stutters a scandalized, ”Lan Jingyi!”

”Let the boy say shit.” Zizhen rolled his eyes, warily spooning at the mush on his tray. 

As the group dissolved into a mini-argument on whether or not it's appropriate to say shit unironically during school hours, Jin Ling nearly forgets the subject matter.

That is until it smacks him in the face.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

”I don't want to do this.” Jin Ling grimaces, picking at his nails, doing anything to keep his eyes from straying to Lan Sizhui, who looks like he might pass out or cry at any given moment. He feels kind-of bad with everyone pushing him into this, but in the words of Ouyang Zizhen, ”it must be done.”

Lan Jingyi thumps his shoulder, a sound little smack echoing down the corridors of their god-ugly high school hallways. ”You’re thinking too much, man. Do it for the vine.” 

”Vine died like five years ago.” Sizhui manages to say though his mouth is quivering, and he seriously looks like he's going to barf. He really needs to get his anxiety checked out. 

”All the more reason to honor her, so get out there and make your scary Uncle proud, Jin Ling!” 

He hisses. ”Jiujiu isn't sc—” 

None of that matters because Jingyi pushes him heavily in front of Counselor Lan’s steady path, and all at once, his brain blanks out. He feels like an idiot staring up at an unsurprised Lan Wangji, who seems to be patiently waiting for his brain to reboot and explain why he was basically blocking his entire path.

When Jin Ling doesn't speak for a long while, Counselor Lan’s face narrows; he doesn't move, but his posture straightens a bit if at all possible because he walks with the elegance of a ballroom dancer. ”Yes?” He says, giving Jin Ling any kind of opening to explain his odd behavior this wonderful Tuesday morning. 

Jin Ling can  _ hear  _ Lan Sizhui facepalming and tries not to look where his friends are hiding.

Somehow, he thinks Counselor Lan knows anyway.

”Uh, ” He’s at a loss here; they hadn't exactly rehearsed script before he was unceremoniously sent to his doom at the mercy of Lan Wangji. Jingyi looks like he very much wants to say something  _ for  _ Jin Ling, and as much as he would appreciate an intervention, it would be at the risk of revealing their hiding spot. At that point, Counselor Lan would  _ definitely  _ know something is up.

He doesn't want another phone call even if Lan Wangji’s office  _ is  _ the optimal napping spot, so Sizhui says on the long days when he waits for his dad to finish filing away papers and grab his keys so they can drive home in what Jin Ling knows is complete silence.

”I forgot what I was going to say.” Jin Ling says eventually, the resounding slap of Lan Sizhui burying his face in his palms.

”You may come to find me when you remember.” Is all Counselor Lan says before pointedly walking around him and continuing on his way without a single bat of an eyelash. 

If Uncle Stupid were in this position, he would pester Jin Ling until he managed to remember. 

”What was that?” Jingyi hisses, hand conspiringly cupped on one side of his mouth like Lan Wangji isn't already out of sight. ”You were supposed to ask him if you can talk to him after school and then coincidentally miss the last bus so your cheesy Uncle can come to pick you up and sweep Counselor Lan off his feet!” 

”Isn't he kind of tall to be ’swept’ around?” 

”Shut up, Zizhen!”

Sizhui is rubbing his temples like his brain is going to explode in the next five seconds. ”Remind me again why we're setting up my dad and Xian-gege again?” 

”Xian-gege?” All three of them chorused in unison, Jingyi practically toppling over to get a better look at Sizhui, who was a slightly pink hue by now. 

”I knew him when I was little. I didn't think he was the same person; that's why I didn't mention him, but later I looked it up, and he's actually Xian-gege.” His hands fiddle with the fabric of his hoodie, yanking one string and then the other until the hood was bunched against the back of his neck. ”I was like three, so I don't remember much.”

”It’s fate.” Ouyang Zizhen declares with the certainty of a man who's tangled with fate before and lived to tell the tale. Beside him, Lan Jingyi nods so ferociously his head might just pop off. 

Lan Sizhui says nothing, merely giving them another long-suffering look before toeing his miraculously spotless sneakers against the ground.

”Well, I think they're both stupid.” Jin Ling intones flatly. ”If they like each other, shouldn't  _ they  _ be the ones to do something about it? We’re the kids!” 

Lan Jingyi shook his head, placing a consolidating hand on Jin Ling’s shoulder that he promptly glared at, but Jingyi paid him no mind. Instead, wearing a dumb expression that was supposed to look ’wise beyond his years’ but put quite simply only managed to look like he was in pain.

”My young padawan, allow me to share my infinite knowledge with you.”

Jin Ling, ”I don't want any from you of all people.”

Lan Jingyi, ”You’re secretly dying to hear my wisdom, so I will tell you anyway because we’re best friends—”

”No, we aren't.” Jin Ling cut in only to be shooed away by Jingyi and shushed by Lan Sizhui, who no doubt is entertaining another one of Lan Jingyi’s many impossible quirks.

”Shut up, let the master speak. Anyway, stubborn adults don't know  _ how  _ to be, you know—”

”Emotionally vulnerable?” Piped Zizhen.

”Yes, ” Jingyi snapped his fingers. ”That. So it's up to us kids to give them an opening to express those feelings. Stick with me, and before you know it, Lan Sizhui’s ’Xian-gege’ will soon be Dad nùmero dos!”

”Ugh, ” Jin Ling groaned theatrically. ”I hate you guys. Fine.”

”Yesssss!” Jingyi fist-pumped. Slapping a high-five with Zizhen while Sizhui looked on in resignation. 

Thus begins the fateful plan get-your-emotionally-repressed-dad-and-oversharing-uncle-together. Trademark. They're working on the title, but Jingyi rather likes it.

* * *

The first step to any great plan is the plotting, the brainstorming, the absolute mind-numbing experience of reviewing material over-and-over until you want to hurl.

”There will be no smooth brains, today men, I want your best ideas. You’ve been given a week for these PowerPoint presentations, and I want to hear all of your thoughts.” Jingyi is dressed down in a pair of worn basketball shorts and a soft blue v-neck tee because Lans typically wears white and blue and absolutely nothing else, apparently. So the dark shorts are an interesting change though a little on the big side, judging by how he constantly reaches down to adjust the ties. 

They're sitting around the ’meeting table,’ which is really a repurposed coffee table in the middle of Jingyi’s living room, laptops open, Zizhen vibrating in his seat over the prospect of ’forbidden love’ as he’d hinted. Jin Ling doesn't really understand  _ how  _ it works out like that, but whatever is not going to ruin his day.

”Who’s going first? Sizhui?” Lan Jingyi gestures dramatically toward the boy in question, looking caught off-guard and a bit reluctant. 

“Can’t we just do something cliche like lock them in a closet together or something?” Jin Ling is so sick of this he would be happy if he could go the rest of his life without hearing about his stupid uncle’s love life. Jingyi was too invested if you ask him to the point of being insufferable.

“Okay, you know what?” Jingyi only sounded mildly irritated. “Fuck the presentations. I say Jin Ling gets in another first fight—”

“I say no because my Jiujiu would actually fucking  _ kill  _ me this time around.”

“Fine. Lan Sizhui can take his dad shopping at the mall, and what's this? Oh no! Jin Ling just happens to be there too and with his uncle— the emotionally confused one. And oh wow, they should shop  _ together  _ because Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui want to hang out. Boom! They fall deeper in love or whatever.” 

“Wow.” Ouyang Zizhen says like he's impressed but also confused. “That could work, I guess.” 

And to Jin Ling’s abject horror, he also realizes that means initiating bonding time with stupid Uncle. Like texting him lets hang out without raising suspicion is going to be easy. News flash: it won't. For the billionth time, he wonders how he got roped into this.

“Okay.” Sizhui’s voice sounds small, also confused. 

Great. Now they have  _ solid  _ plans. Now Jin Ling can officially pass away. 

“You better not be late, or I'm going to strangle myself with the tee-shirt rack. I'm going to need so much Alieve after this it's not even gonna be funny.”

“A Lan is always on time.” Jingyi sniffs.

“Then why are you always late to game nights.” It wasn't long before they were bickering again and making thinly veiled threats over Mario Kart.

* * *

  
  


“You know, ” Wei Wuxian began on the car ride over to the lame mall within their city, the big one that had the worst selection of stores Jin Ling had ever seen— “I’m touched you wanted to hang out with me today. We haven't since you were the size of a garden gnome.” 

There's a reason Jin Ling thinks with some spite, a huge reason involving the store security and a half-frozen milkshake and losing his Uncle for an entire hour at the age of six. 

Instead, he settles with, “I wasn't the size of a garden gnome.” And Uncle Wei laughs, momentarily glancing away from the road to give Jin Ling a look filled with childish mirth.

If hanging out made his stupid idiot of an Uncle  _ this  _ happy, then maybe Jin Ling could stand to endure shopping trips and movie outings with him a little more often. He's never going to tell a soul that, though.

Of course, Uncle stupid looks like a hot topic reject in torn skinny jeans and band tees. Today the chucks are mismatched, much to Jin Ling’s horror. It's like he dresses in the dark or— knowing how late of a sleeper he is— half-asleep. 

Okay, okay, okay. Lan Sizhui  _ will  _ be on time, or he's going to cry for real. If he has to wander the mall with his hot mess of an Uncle alone, he will combust, and then Lan Sizhui is going to owe him an all-expense-paid funeral. 

He barely registers the rest of the ride, tuning out Uncle Wei’s continuous stream of chatter like radio static.

Thankfully, they run into the Lans almost immediately. Uncle stupid’s face lights up so brightly it's disgusting, and Jin Ling levels Lan Sizhui with a pointed look.

“Ah, Lan Wangji, it seems we have the same taste in shopping malls.” Uncle Wei starts teasingly, though this is the only mall in their city and to go anywhere else was about an hour all ways.

“Mn.” A classic Lan Wangji response. “It would seem so.” And he's  _ encouraging  _ the terrible flirting worst of all. Their Counselor Lan has terrible taste, or very good taste because all of Jin Ling’s Uncles are quite handsome, and he’d dare anyone to say otherwise. But he's going to have to take off points for the awful pickup lines. 

Wei Wuxian also looks like he isn't used to a positive response. His jaw works itself in slow circles for a moment before laughing loudly. “You don't  _ have  _ to go along with it, you know?” So he  _ is  _ self-aware.

His eyes scrunch up in mirth while he says it, and Lan Wangji levels him with a pointed look that Jin Ling doesn't really understand and decides he will not try to. “I am not nice. As you said, we have similar taste.”  _ In malls?  _ Jin Ling thinks.  _ Or in men?  _

The look Lan Sizhui shoots him says, don't say a word.

Instead, he waits until they're poking around Hot Topic before letting out a heavy breath through his nose, the chatter of adults a blanketing background noise as Uncle Stupid continues to laugh at his own jokes and Lan Wangji indulges him. 

“I’m aware they're both bad at flirting.” Lan Sizhui begins.

“Fucking terrible. I’m getting second-hand cringe.” Jin Ling agrees.

Someone needs to call cringe control. God, he sounds like Jingyi.

“They're trying their best.” Lan Sizhui says thoughtfully, examining a Sailor Moon choker that Jin Ling  _ knows  _ he's considering because Lan Sizhui is a gender non-conforming king, and Jin Ling can respect that.

“He's gonna be your dad by the looks of it.” They barely know each other, and Lan Wangji already looks like a lovesick freak; it's kind of gross in a fascinating way. Considering he didn't know, Counselor Lan could even  _ make  _ a face like that. 

“I guess.” Says Sizhui like he's not sure what to make of it. Jin Ling thinks he also would react like that if Wei Wuxian could be his dad someday. But that's just speculation and a widely popular theory courtesy of Zizhen.

“I’ll buy you the choker if you agree never to speak of this experience again.” Jin Ling offers.

Lan Sizhui sighs in relief. “Deal.” 

In the background, he can hear Wei Wuxian’s obnoxious laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more and Better wangxian interactions will be next chapter I promise jin ling has to get over his angst first

**Author's Note:**

> this is the Sole fic im gonna be working on for a hot second bc I need a break from my other drafts. u can scream at your local lesbian (me) on twitter @yilangji if you want sneak beaks


End file.
